


Three to Four

by Cefhclwords



Series: Parent Deledier [2]
Category: Men's Football RPF
Genre: Domestic Bliss, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, M/M, Parenthood, dad dele, dad eric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-13
Updated: 2019-06-13
Packaged: 2020-05-02 13:11:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19199515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cefhclwords/pseuds/Cefhclwords
Summary: A family of three becomes a family of four.“That’s right tiny darling” Eric whispers, and Dele watched as he rocked side to side, noticing the tiny body of Harper in his arms. She’s been easy to miss with his first look, Eric’s cradled arms making his biceps bulge out, hiding the delicate figure in his arms.But as he twists to the side with a rocking motion, Dele could just spot the pretty slope of Harper's nose in the dark, her small hands waving up in the arm, free from her blanket. The pair of them skin to skin as Eric chats away to her.“I’m not going anywhere, never, your dad and I are always going to be here” Eric breathed, leaning down to kiss the top of her head, staying pressed close to her like that for a few moments."





	Three to Four

**Author's Note:**

> Read more and request at my tumblr by the same name: cefhclwords :) <3 hope you enjoy this! x

It seems cliche to Dele that he just could not fathom how small she is.

She’s a tiny sweet bundle, of pink skin and cream blankets, a thick patch of blond hair covering her head. Dele had thought maybe this second time around, he wouldn’t go to pieces over the size of his newborn, crying the second she was in his arms like he had with Hugh, but it turns out that had just been wishful thinking. 

They’d taken a few hours to get to the hospital after they got the call, they’d decided to take Hugh out to the zoo for the day, with baby number two due in three weeks, they knew spending some quality time with their son was a good way to avoid a clash when their family grew. 

Plus it was finally summer and Eric and Dele wanted to take advantage of the warm weather. A frantic call from their surrogate around midday let them know that baby wasn’t waiting till full term, her water had broken. 

The rest of the day had been a frantic blur, stressful and scary and exciting and worth every little second for the baby girl he currently had in his arms. The pair was relieved to finally be home with their daughter the day following her delivery, ready for the new chapter in their lives to begin.

Nearly nine months of waiting and they finally had the newest member of their family. 

She was smaller than Hugh had been, and Dele’s hands are shaking even now as he cuddles her into the crook of his arm. He made sure that her head was supported before he used his fingertips to tug the layers of blankets away from her gorgeous face, his touch light as air as he traces his fingertip down her cheek. 

The newborn fussed in a small wiggle, and Dele drew his fingertip down the line of her button nose, shushing her gently as tears brimed over the tops of his cheekbones and ran down his face. He felt like he’d cried a lifetime of tears in the past twenty-four hours and here he was again, curled up on the couch of their living room in tears over how bloody perfect his little girl was. 

Dele couldn’t bring himself to look away from her, even when he heard his husbands footsteps on the stairs, busy watching each minute crinkle of her delicate brow, each wiggle of her lips. 

Dele hadn’t thought it has possible for his heart to get any bigger- when he’d first seen Hugh, heard his screaming cries, it was like the missing part of him had finally fallen into place, his whole world re-orientated to the boy in his arms. 

But now, it was like his heart just managed to grow two sizes overnight, everything had reset again and now revolved around his son and his daughter. He’d do anything for their happiness, he’d live his life doing right by them. 

Caught in his thoughts, Dele jolted slightly when he felt Eric sit beside him, his arm coming to wrap around his waist.

“How does she like the place?” Eric asks in a whisper as he moves to rest his chest on Dele’s shoulder, gazing down at their girl. Dele smirked and let out a watery laugh, leant back into Eric’s chest. 

“She thinks it’ll do, but she agreed with me that dad’s choice of rug could have been better” Dele teased, smiling at Eric’s answering laugh. 

“Nice” Eric mumbled in reply, his hand coming up to the bundle of blankets, tugged them that bit looser so that she could free her wiggling arms, Eric’s finger getting latched onto by her tiny hand quickly. 

“Hey sweetheart” Eric mumbled, Dele felt the rumble of his words from where they were pressed close. 

“Dad decide on your name yet? Or will I be calling you baby for another day?” Eric pressed a kiss to Dele’s shoulder after the words. 

Hugh had been Eric’s pick, and Dele had loved it but Eric wanted to give Dele the joy of naming their second child from the small collection of names they had discussed. 

They hadn’t chosen to find out the babies gender, instead decided to wait, excited at the surprise. They both just wanted a happy, healthy baby, beyond that they didn’t mind. 

Deep down, Dele knew they both would love a girl to round out their family, both he and Eric had sisters who they loved, and they wanted Hugh to able to have that too. So when they heard the words “it’s a girl” it was no surprise that tears had started up for both of them.

“Think I’ve finally chosen, we spoke about while you were putting her things in our room” Dele whispered, watching as she screwed up her face and tugged on Eric’s finger, the grip tight. 

“Yeah?” Eric asked and leant back into the couch, tugging Dele so that he was positioned between his legs, closer to him. 

“Mmhm, Eric, Meet Harper” Dele finally drew his eyes away from his daughter and turned back to meet Eric’s eyes, desperate to see his reaction. Harper hadn’t been one of the ones they discussed the most, Emelia and Sophia had sort of been the two names that they had mentioned most, for if they did have a girl. 

But Dele knew, when he saw her, she wasn't either of those. As he watched Eric hold her for the first time in the small hospital room, eyes glowing as he rocked her, the name Harper had just fallen to his mind. He could see it now, Hugh calling out for his sister Harper, for Eric calling her Harps- all of it. It just made sense. 

“It’s perfect Del” Eric beamed, kissed Dele in a quick press of lips, smiling too wide to kiss him properly. 

“Seriously I love it, it suits her perfectly” Eric smiled, voice genuine. “Harper and Hugh” he mumbled to himself, pleased at the sound of his family. 

“Oh Speaking of, Sally texted me and she said she’s on the way over with Hugh, so they should be here soon” Eric explained, excited to see his son after a long day and night apart from him, but also anticipating Hugh’s reaction to the new member of the family.

Eric and Dele ensured they took the proper time to explain to Hugh that he was going to get a new baby sibling, and how exciting that was, getting him ready for the new addition. However, there was still an element of nerves at Hugh finally meeting her and adjusting to the change of their families dynamic. 

They enjoyed a few more moments of quiet cuddles with their girl, lost track of time until they heard the front door clicking open and the familiar sounds of Hugh’s running footsteps. 

“Daddy daddy!!!! Do you guys got the baby?” Hugh’s voice rang out into the home and Dele’s heart clenched at the sound of his boy, the excitement in his voice. He got up and met the boy running down the hall, picked him up into his arms with a bright grin. 

“Its Have, but, yeah, yeah darling boy, we have the baby” He laughed, kissed the top of Hugh’s head as he squeezed him into a proper cuddle. 

“Missed you buddy, how was seeing grandma you guys have fun?” he asked, looking at his son. 

“Yeah, we made pasta! I love pasta” Hugh beamed, wrigging as he tried to look around for Eric, calling out “dad!” when he saw Eric walking up behind Dele. 

He’d settled Harper into her car carrier that they’d placed on the coffee table when they got in, knowing they wanted to take their time to say hi to Hugh before they introduced him to the new member of their family, not wanting to put him off. 

“Hey, big man!! I missed you” Eric grinned, swooping in to steal the boy out of Dele’s arms, pecking kisses all over his cheeks. 

“Daaad stop it!’ Hugh squealed, kicking his legs and wriggling in his arms. “I missed you too, you too” Hugh smiled, arms wrapped around Eric’s neck in a cuddle as he looked over at Dele.

“Where’s the baby? Did you forget her?” Hugh asked them, as he looked around the room. 

“Nah mate we remembered to get her” Dele laughed, reaching out to tickle their son's stomach. 

“Good! Cause you took fooorever” Hugh whined, and grandma didn’t do my hair right, It’s fuzzy” Hugh whispered, making both of them burst into laughter. 

“Cheeky boy, you be nice” Eric reprimanded, tickling Hugh’s side before he worked on getting him out of his jumper and shoes. 

Sally finally walked into the room then, carrying a few tupperware containers in her arms. 

They shared hello’s, having seen her only a while ago when she came by the hospital to see their girl, leaving Hugh with Harry for a needed few hours away to see their newest addition. 

“I bought over some meals boys, I’ve got lasagna and a curry and a chicken pasta dish” Sally explained, walking into the kitchen to set them away in the freezer. “Thank you, Sal that’s such a big help” Dele beamed before he walked over to give her a kiss on the cheek and hug hello. 

They chatted for a few moments, but Sally was quick to slip out, knowing that the boys needed their family time together. Besides, they already had plans for next week for both of the families to come over and meet Harper properly. 

A soft cry caught Eric’s attention, and he turned his head back to see Harper fussing slightly from where she had been swaddled up, sleeping happily. 

Hugh noticed the noise too, following his dad’s eye line to spot the car seat and the bundle it held. 

“Can I see?” he asked, and looked up to Eric and then Dele, eyes full of curiosity at the new little creature.

Eric was endeared that Hugh seemed excited at the idea of his sibling, hoping it was a sign of things going well. 

Eric set Hugh down on the ground and Dele crouched down to have a chat to him as Eric went to get Harper. 

“Alright, big brother, are you ready? Do you remember what we said about baby?” he asked, before he pressed a small to Hugh’s cheek, hand resting on his shoulder. 

Hugh nodded proudly, almost puffing out his chest as he spoke “Yes! Gotta be gentle, and be nice” he nodded, bouncing up on his toes as he tried to look over Dele’s shoulder, to where Eric was sat on the couch. 

“Alright mate, off you go” Dele encouraged, hand on Hugh’s back as his son took his first step toward them. He paused halfway and looked over at Eric, a look of concern on his young face. Eric couldn’t help but smile at how similar he looked to Dele when he did that.

“You ok H?” Eric asked, rocking Harper in his arms gently, patting rhythmically at her bottom to keep her soothed. Dele stood back a few steps from his son and watched it play out. “Is it a brother or a sister?” Hugh asked, hands held in front of himself as he waited for the answer. 

“Sister! Sorry baby, dad and I have had a long night and we are so tired we forgot to tell you” Eric laughed. Hugh, satisfied with his answer, ran over to the couch, coming to a stop in front of Harper. 

“You can’t call me baby now dad, cause she’s the baby, not me!” Hugh informed Eric as he tried to climb up onto the couch. 

Dele couldn’t deny his heart broke a little bit at that, at his first baby saying he wasn't his baby. God, there really had been too many emotions over the past couple days and Dele was not going to cry again. 

Eric caught his eye and pouted, and Dele was glad to know he wasn’t the only one a bit heartbroken at Hugh’s declaration. 

Dele swooped in then, and walked over to the couch and scooped up the boy into his arms, sitting with him resting in his lap. 

“You’re right Hugh, Silly dad, You’re a big boy now aren’t you?” he smiled, fiddling with a few of the boy's curls, and yeah, Sally hadn’t quite mastered how to style his hair now that it had started to grow out into proper coils like Dele’s. 

“Alright Hugh, meet your sister Harper,” Eric said softly, tugging back the swaddle of blankets so that the boy could get a proper look at her. 

Hugh leant forward, steadied by Dele’s grip as he looked down at her, eyes wide. “She’s really little daddy” Hugh whispered, looking up at Eric with wide in his eyes, hands held to his chest as if he was nervous to touch her. 

“Yeah,” Dele said softly, rubbing over Hugh’s back, reassuring him.

“She has a pink nose” he added, pointing towards her, giggling a little bit. Harper wriggled then, letting out a blubber of sound and Hugh's mouth dropped open looking up at Eric and then back at Dele. 

“She’s saying hi” Hugh giggled, eyes fixated on his sister. 

“Hi baaaby” Hugh laughed, clapping his hands together. 

“Can you say her name, Hugh?” Eric asked, swallowing thickly. He wasn’t sure why he and Dele had been worried about them meeting, about Hugh’s reaction.

They were worried about how he would react to their attention being divided, especially when he was such an affectionate kid. 

That felt silly now, Hugh had such a big heart and had been so excited about being a big brother, of course he would be sweet to them. Hugh looked up at his parents for direction, “Harper” Dele repeated, “kinda like your name, yeah? Same letter” he added. 

Hugh waited a few seconds before he attempted the name, saying a soft “Harper”. “Hi Harper” he waved his hand and Dele tucked his smile into Hugh’s shoulder, casting a glance up to Eric to see he fared about as well as he was, he looked like he could melt into the couch as the sweetness. 

“Good job buddy” Eric encouraged Hugh, leaning over to press a kiss to his forehead, “already a great big brother you are” Dele added, chest warm with pride for his son. 

“Can I touch?” Hugh asked then, leaning in closer, laughing a bit when Harper let out a little squeak as she wiggled around in Eric’s arms. “Course you can, do you want to hold her?” Eric asked, trusting his boy to be careful with the way he was treating her now. 

“Yes” Hugh grinned, looking back at Dele like he was checking it was really ok. Dele nodded and sat back with Hugh sitting between his legs, reaching down to help Hugh arrange his arms correctly. 

f“Make a cradle bud, there we go! Perfect” Dele instructed, pulling his phone out of his pocket, knowing he’d want a picture of this moment to look back on.

“Alright, gentle ok?” Eric said softly before he placed Harper into Hugh’s arms, and kept his own hand resting under Harper’s back and neck as support to help the three-year-old’s grip. 

Hugh smiled up at his dads, before he looked at Harper again, leaning closer to her face, looking fascinated at the tiny being. Dele snapped a few quick pictures, making sure to get a couple of different angles of the moment before he dropped his phone back to the couch to focus on his family. 

“Hi Harper” Hugh giggled out again, tilting his head down to press his face into the bundle of blankets covering Harper’s tummy. “You giving her a hug?” Dele asked, petting the top of Hugh’s head, swallowing around the lump in his throat. He was not crying happy tears, he was not going to- he had finally gotten it together. 

“Yep but I’m being gentle” Hugh answered, sitting back up. Eric nodded, “Good job sweetheart, that is so nice of you” Eric beamed, not doing much better than Dele to not get emotional about it. 

“Can she talk?” Hugh asked, whispering still a bit, very aware of the baby in his arms. 

“Not yet buddy, that will take a while but you can talk to her all you want’ Dele replied, reaching down to adjust Harper’s blankets where they had slipped a little bit. 

Harper’s eyes blinked open then, looking around as her face started screwed up and she let out a proper cry. “It’s ok, It’s ok, It’s ok” Hugh said to Harper, eyes wide as he looked to Eric. 

“Its ok mate, she just is trying to understand everything, she's not upset at you” he explained, scooping his daughter up for a moment to rock her, taking her pacifier from the car seat, getting her to take it into her mouth to settle her.

They spend the better part of the few following hours on the couch with their two kids, Hugh fascinated with his baby sister to the point where he had a bit of a tantrum when she had to go for a proper nap and he needed lunch. 

By the time Dele and Eric get into bed that night they are beyond exhausted, the excitement of being a big brother had made Hugh difficult to get to bed, not wanting to settle till he got a story from both Eric and Dele after his bath. Harper had chosen that moment to cry out, hungry for her dinner. 

Finally, both kids were settled and fed and sleeping, Hugh in his bed and Harper in her cot, and Dele and Eric were able to take a breath. 

“We’re gonna be so tired huh?” Dele asked, laughing as he leant back into Eric’s bare chest, eyes closing as the man’s arms wrapped around him. “The most tired, all the time” he agreed, kissing the back of Dele’s neck, letting out a slow exhale.

 

It was hours later when Dele wakes up to an empty bed, barely conscious as he rolls over in the soft sheets, arm reaching out and seeking the heat of Eric’s body, ready to settle into him and drift off while the air was still free of any cries from Harper. When his hand just meets more cold sheets, Dele lets out a confused whimper, exhales sleepily and rolls onto his back, dazing in an out of sleep. 

When the bed stayed empty for a few more half-asleep minutes, Dele frowned and forced himself to blink his eyes open, squinting across the dark room to find where the hell Eric had gone off to.

He stayed sprawled on his back, waited for his eyes to adjust as his ears eventually picked up the sound of soft whispers. With a few more tired blinks, the image of the room, illuminated by the light spilling in under the crack of their door. They kept the hall light on for Hugh, the boy wasn't a fan of the dark and they’d adjusted to sleeping with at least one light on in the home.

Eric stood by Harper’s white wooden cot, still, just in the pair of loose grey sleeping shorts, he’d crawled into bed in. His voice was barely audible, but in the silence of the home, Dele could just make out the gentle mumbles.

“That’s right tiny darling” Eric whispers, and Dele watched as he rocked side to side, noticing the tiny body of Harper in his arms. She’s been easy to miss with his first look, Eric’s cradled arms making his biceps bulge out, hiding the delicate figure in his arms. 

But as he twists to the side with a rocking motion, Dele could just spot the pretty slope of Harper's nose in the dark, her small hands waving up in the arm, free from her blanket. The pair of them skin to skin as Eric chats away to her.

“I’m not going anywhere, never, your dad and I are always going to be here” Eric breathed, leaning down to kiss the top of her head, staying pressed close to her like that for a few moments.

“And you’re my little girl? Can’t believe it, angel, I’d hoped we have a perfect tiny girl like you” he drew a few fingers over Harper’s forehead and Dele didn’t hold back the one stray tear that escaped him.

They really made quite the picture, all tall and broad, skin tanned over his muscular shoulders, holding safe to the smallest thing in the world. 

“I’m so lucky, so lucky Harper. Promise I’ll do right by you” he mutters, “family now and always, you, me, Hugh and Del, that's what matters now” Dele’s smile hurt his face as he rolled out of the bed, the sound startling Eric to look behind him. 

“She wake you?” Dele asked, pressing a line of kisses across Eric’s broad shoulders, hand rubbing down his side. Eric shook his head, leaning back into Dele’s arms as he continued to rock Harper. 

“No, actually- I woke her up, kind of wanted to stare at her for a bit” Eric laughed then, shaking his head at himself. 

“She’s so perfect Del. Can’t believe we got the two cutest kids alive” he sighed, leaning into Dele’s frame. 

“Mm well, Hugh’s cuteness I can take credit for obviously, but this one, Eric’s it’s all you” Dele mumbled, kissing behind Eric’s ear now.

“Well, you’re very welcome in that case” Eric laughed, closing his eyes to focus on the soft sound of Harper’s breaths, the feeling of Dele’s arms wrapped around his waist. 

Eric is sure then, in that moment, his Son sleeping down the hall, their home filled with so much love, this is the feeling of true happiness.


End file.
